TIBET. 
37 9 
strictest privacy, and prohibiting, indiscriminately, the admission of 
all persons to his presence, I found an obstacle almost insurmountable; 
yet the Regent, mindful of the amity subsisting between the Governor 
and himself, and unwilling, I believe, by any act, to hazard its interrup¬ 
tion, at length consented to grant me that extraordinary indulgence. 
As the meeting was attended with very singular and striking cir¬ 
cumstances, I could not help noting them with most particular atten¬ 
tion ; and though the repetition of such facts, interwoven and blended 
as they are with superstition and folly, may expose me to the impu¬ 
tation of extravagant exaggeration, yet I should think myself repre¬ 
hensible in suppressing them. While, therefore, I divest myself of all 
prejudice, and assume the character of a faithful narrator, I hope, how¬ 
ever tedious the detail, I propose to enter into, may be found, it will be 
at least received with candour and attention, by those for whose pe- 
rusal and information it is intended 4 . It is indeed important, were it 
only to mark that strong feature in the national character, of implicit 
homage to their great religious sovereign, and to exemplify the very 
uncommon, I may almost say, unheard of effects, of early tuition. I 
shall perhaps, be still more fully justified in making this relation, by 
adverting to that very extraordinary assurance given me by the Regent, 
but a few days before my departure from his court; which, without 
further introduction, I shall beg leave literally to recite. At an inter¬ 
view with which he indulged me, after having given me my audience 
of leave, he said, “ I had yesterday a vision of our tutelary deity, 
and to me, it was a day replete with much interesting and important 
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